Mega Man ZX - Hard Mode No Damage Run [Part 1]
57Welcome to part 1 of my hard mode no damage run of Mega Man ZX. As the sequel series to MMZ, ZX brings a whole slew of new gameplay elements to the table, resulting in an incredibly innovative and fresh take on the Mega Man formula. The Biometal system completely changes how stage traversal and boss fights are tackled. Combined with the lack of a ranking system for missions, players enjoy a high degree of freedom in choosing how to approach obstacles. With that said, let me establish how this run is structured and a few rules I put in place.
ZX consists of a continuous world; as such, missions must be accepted before arriving at a stage, which must be traveled to manually. For this run, I choose to accept missions at the Transever nearest the mission location. At times, I’ll need to make my way over to the next proper location to accept a mission. These segments aren’t missions, but I do need to show them since taking damage is possible during general traversal. In the timestamps, these segments will be noted as interludes.
Now for a few rules:
-Once acquiring Model ZX, the usage of Model X is disallowed. I still have access to it due to finishing the game with both Vent and Aile.
-Model ZX is restricted to the ZX-Saber only. The buster trivializes a lot of things in the game, so I elect to holster it.
-Barring the refights in Slither Inc., every boss must be fought with the ZX-Saber only. Additionally, I must achieve level 4 victories against the Psuedoroids.
There’s your preamble, now for the notes proper:
-The opening missions of ZX are blatant tutorials, designed to acclimate players to the new systems. On repeat playthroughs, these are dull, but they must be shown. I play the opening stage pacifist for a bit of variety. The chief bit of fun comes from the Area D highway. Given that it’s an obvious reference to the opening stage of Mega Man X, I decided to take it a step further and complete the homage by doing a dashless run of the stage. Unsurprisingly, the stage is still easy, but I do get to showcase some pattern manipulation on Giro. There’s a dead zone where you can stand and avoid most of his attacks by remaining still, which is amusing.
-Hivolt’s stage is the first proper insight into the challenge ZX can offer. The concentration of enemies is quite high in the outdoor area. Combined with tricky jumps and the rather anemic range of the ZX-Saber, this makes for quite the whiplash in terms of challenge. It doesn’t let up when you make it inside the power plant. Maintaining a constant flow through the cramped hallways littered with hazards and enemies is quite exacting for what is typically regarded as the premier choice for the first real boss to take on. Due to some troubles with recording, I ended up intimately familiar with this stage; a blessing in disguise really, considering that it’s one of the tougher ones. It quickly brought me up to speed in terms of what to expect when optimizing stages in this game.
-Hivolt’s battle is entirely choreographed. Much like Z3, skipping cutscenes resets RNG, so with enough studying, you can have a partial or even a complete picture of what’s going to occur. Unlike Z3, many more factors influence boss patterns in ZX, so it’s nowhere near as easy to make them behave in your desired fashion. Hivolt functions based on his current health and player position. Here’s a key point: Hivolt will never use his triple slash or ground dash if you’re behind him when he descends upon the arena after an attack.
-Hurricaune’s stage has one section that’s absolutely infuriating. The 16 seconds of movement succeeding the miniboss comprises one of the most disgustingly luck-driven and unbearably precise sections in all of ZX. The culprit? The Galleon Shroud enemies. There are two possible patterns: either the bunker will split open revealing a gunner or a grenadier will pop out from the top. When attempting to speed past these with HX, you’re entirely at the mercy of luck. If you get the gunner, the run ends there; you take a hit and there’s nothing you can do about it. Should luck be on your side, you still need to have the correct positioning to avoid getting clipped by the grenadier as it pops out. There are 4 total in the section. The first and fourth are easy, it’s the middle two that cause all the grief. The third demands perfection, the air dash off that corner is the epitome of threading the needle. Getting past this was so rare that I was a mess whenever I’d make it to Hurricaune. I honestly felt more adrenaline fighting her than Serpent or even Omega.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Catch the Maverick | Giga Aspis
01:19 - Pass the Test | Pattrolaurs
03:58 - Locate Giro | Rayfly
06:05 - Troop Reinforcement | Giro
09:24 - Interlude #1 - Area X-1 to Area C-2
10:19 - Search the Plant | Hivolt the Raptoroid
15:22 - Save the People | Hurricaune the Wolveroid
I hope you enjoyed this part! As always, feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have.
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